The Door Is Locked, But I still Got a Key
by S.S.Ezria
Summary: Aria and Ezra had broken up and Aria needs him out of her life for his own good. But something happens to Aria which leaves no choice but for Ezra to be part of her life again... And what happens when a new guy enters Aria's life, too? (That was a FAIL of a summary) Title is a lyric from the song "My Oh My" by Tristan Prettyman.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, Fanfiction. This story takes place fall of Aria's senior year (mid- September, maybe?) Takes place before Ezra finds out that Malcom is not his son and all of that stuff… and in my story Malcom will be Ezra's and Ezra is not A (Anyone wanna PM me and we can discuss theories?). **

** Can any lovely person please remind me if Ezra becomes Aria's teacher when he comes back to teach at Rosewood High? All I can remember is Spencer coming to him when she found out about not getting into UPenn and he gave her some advice which was a metaphor for his and Aria's current status. This piece of info is necessary in a later chapter. Thanks a million! DISCLAIMER: I do not own PLL or else Ezra would be dating ME instead of Aria. (jk, if you couldn't already tell, I LOVE Ezria.) Hope y'all enjoy!**

_Prologue_

_It was finally just the two of them. With Maggie and Malcom in Ezra's family photo, and with A on Aria's back, Aria and Ezra hadn't gotten a chance to be just the two of them, alone, in a very long time. So they wanted each other more than ever. Ezra passionately and tenderly kissed Aria, his hands caressing her curves, and Aria kissed him back, her tongue slipping into his mouth. It wasn't until after a while when Ezra whispered in her ear, "I love you, Aria Montgomery. More than I can express, more than you will ever know." Ezra took note of how amazing her hair smelled._

_ "I love you, too, Ezra. Nothing anyone will ever say or do, nothing that will ever happen, would stop me from loving you." They ripped off their clothing as if it was poisonous. Now nothing was separating Aria from Ezra. They were no longer just the two of them. They were one._

"_He and I had something beautiful, but so dysfunctional, it couldn't last. I loved him so, but I let him go"_

_-A Fine Frenzy, Near to You_

"_Oh, the only way to really know, is to really let it go, Maybe, in the future, you're gonna come back, gonna come back to me"_

_-Ingrid Michaelson, Maybe_

_**2 weeks later**_

_Aria had just broken up with Ezra and Hanna had dragged her to a party to help her get over him. Aria was reluctant at first, but she soon found herself enjoying the party, tearing up the dance floor without a care in the world and a red Solo cup in her hand. "Hello." She heard a voice over the loud music. She looked around and saw a boy who looked not much older than she, with sandy blonde hair and sparkling brown eyes. "Howdy!" Aria said, her speech slurred. "I am Aria Gontmomery!"_

"_I'm Alexander Phillips, but you can call me Xander." Xander said, his speech as slurred as Aria's._

"_Pleasure to meet you, Xander!" Aria giggled._

"_Likewise," Xander said, with a glint in his eye as he grabbed Aria's hand. "You are adorable" He kissed her hand like a gentleman and lead her off the dancefloor. Aria soon found herself making out with Xander, her hands running through his hair as she took in his scent, and his hands slipping under her shirt… _

**1Month Later **

Aria felt a sudden wave of nausea, like the depths of her stomach could not contain anything, and her breakfast was going to come up. She ran to the bathroom and vomited in the toilet. "Are you alright?" Byron called from downstairs. Aria thought for a minute. Was she? She didn't know. Her episode was completely out of the blue and there was no bug going around. "I'm fine!" she called down. But a thought suddenly crept up on her, causing her to be anything but. In fact, she felt worse than when she threw up. Her period was late. This combination, she realized, could only mean one thing. Aria washed her mouth, and flushed her vomit down the toilet. She raced down the stairs and flew out the door, calling to her dad that she was going to Hanna's. Aria went to CVS and picked up 3 pregnancy tests. She went to the bathroom in the back of the store and peed on all 3 sticks, nervously awaiting their results. Her heart was pounding, her stomach in knots. She was so nervous that she was nearly sweating, her hands were shaking, and her legs were like Jell- O.

The answer, the life-altering answer glared back at her. Aria couldn't bear to look, yet at the same time, she was beyond anxious to find out. She took a deep breath and peeked.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Her jaw dropped.

She nearly fainted.

Her heart stopped.

"_Shit"._

The worst part of it all, Aria thought, was not knowing who the father was. If it was Ezra, all it took was one single paternity test and he would be fired and jailed like that. Everything he had worked for—gone. And all because of Aria, who had shown up out of the blue whose only purpose, it seemed, was to screw up his life.

And if it was Xander, then Aria, a girl he barely knew, would have dragged him into her business, complicating his life in a way there was no getting out of. She only saw him once, and suddenly she dumped a huge plate of responsibility on him. She put herself in Xander's shoes. "Xander has his own problems," Aria thought, "There is no way he would want mine as well." It was scary to become a father at 18, especially when the mother was nearly a stranger.

Ezra, she knew, would at least stand by her. Aria, knowing herself, would probably push him away for his own good, but at least he was loyal, and he would be kind about the pregnancy. Aria hadn't a clue about Xander. His name was all she knew about him. There was the possibility that he would leave her pregnant self behind in the dirt, as he cruised on with his normal life. This though scared Aria, and she prayed that he was sweet. She didn't remember anything about That Night, but when she tried to, her mind always conjured up Xander as being nice. She hoped she was right.

Aria pulled out her phone and frantically texted Hanna:

"hanna I need to come over ASAP" Aria texted.

"k fine r u ok?" was Hanna's reply

"Tell u when I get here. Em and spence need to b thr too so I will text them."

Aria sent a mass text to Emily and Spencer, saying "Emergency come to hannas ASAP"

Aria put her phone away and ran to Hanna's house. Hanna greeted an out-of-breath Aria, who she wordlessly escorted upstairs. Emily and Spencer arrived soon after. "Aria what's wrong?" They asked as they barged into Hanna's room. "I don't really know how to tell you this, but I- I- I'm pregnant. Aria spilled.

"Unbelievable," Spencer breathed, without emotion.

"What did ou just say, Spencer?" Aria fumed. "I tell you I'm PREGNANT and all you have to say is 'unbelievable'?! How about a little support, huh?"

"Well, Aria," Hanna reasoned, "At least Spencer didn't say something like 'we all saw THAT one coming."

"That did NOT help," Aria said in a tone that demanded some uplifting words or some sort of reassurance.

Aria suddenly burst into tears. "I don't want this! I'm too young. And I don't even know who the father is! If it's Ezra, he's screwed! If it's him, nobody can know. Not even you guys, not even him! Or else he's going to get fired! AND ARRESTED! And that can't happen to him! He already has a son! Plus we're over! And if it's Xander's he's screwed. Too! I barely know him and suddenly I am giving him this huge responsibility and completely turning his life upside-down! If he's a douche, he's just going to leave me, alone and stranded! Best case scenario? I lose my baby!" Spencer had enough. She couldn't take it anymore. Ever since Aria's breakup with Ezra, the once-bubbly teen had lost her spirit and lived life simply as a body. Aria was always complaining and crying over the smallest of things. Her patience soon ran out very easily, and she became quick to anger, quick to pick a fight. Her outlook on life soon became very negative; she walked with her head hanging, she went about life without smiling. She was devastated over the loss of Ezra and was taking it out on the world. Aria was often found crying, sometimes alone, in the halls, instead of sitting in class, or sometimes it seemed as if she was intentionally showing off her misery; she often broke down in very random, very populated places as well. Sometimes her friends would ask her if she was alright, and Aria would say yes and seemed to get mad at them for posing such a question, yet other times, she would wordlessly demand the utmost attention of everyone in hearing range.

"I know, Aria, that you are going through some tough times," Spencer nearly yelled, exasperatedly. "We all are, okay? You can't just act like you're the only person in the world who gets upset, the only human with anything shy of a perfect life, and demand support. Other people have issues, too, and you can't just ignore them and not listen to them. TRY to have some empathy! Oh, wait, sometimes you DO listen. Only to compare yourself to them, claiming you have it much worse. I know, you think you're all selfless for breaking it off with Ezra, but in actuality, you have become one of the most selfish people I know! Aria, we are not your shrinks! As much as we care, we do not want to hear only about your problems. It's not all Aria, all the time, you know!"

"You're right, Spencer," Aria said, defeated, "You guys are not my shrinks. But you're also not my friends, either." And with that, Aria walked out of Hanna's room, tears streaming down her face, and she slammed the door as hard as she could. As she stormed down the hall, she heard Emily say, "Wow, Spence, that was a little harsh."

"But it needed to be said," Hanna replied, Emily did not protest.

Aria ran all the way to the park on the other side of town without looking back. She sat down on a bench and continued to bawl, holding her face in her hands. She noticed Ezra and Malcom laughing and playing together. Ezra was so good with Malcom and he made for an amazing dad. "Daddy, look, It's Aria!" Malcom pointed in Aria's direction.

"No, Malcom, that's just someone who looks like her." Ezra told him, but Malcom ran off anyway.

"Hi Aria!" he said as he neared her.

"Hey buddy." Aria said glumly.

"Are you okay?" Malcom asked.

"Yup."

"Well then why are you crying?"

"I just have something in my eye."

"Malcom!" Ezra called. Malcom did not respond, so Ezra ran over to collect him.

"Malcom, please don't bother Aria. We need to go—" He noticed Aria's watery eyes and her red nose. Not only that, but her apparent sadness did not look like a temporary emotion, one that would fade as the sun rose the next day, but a permanent state of being. The Aria he once knew had completely transformed.

"Aria, are you alright?" Ezra asked gently.

Aria nodded.

"Daddy, can Aria come over one day?" Malcom looked up at Ezra hopefully.

"Ummm…. I guess you would have to ask her." Ezra answered.

"Aria, you wanna come over for a playdate one day?" Malcom asked.

"I'm really busy right now buddy, I don't really think I have the time."

Malcom frowned and hung his head.

"Malcom," Ezra said sternly, "We need to go home. Say goodbye to Aria and let's go."

"Bye Aria!" Malcom chimed as he grabbed his father's hand.

Aria just waved. She sat for a little longer, shocked at her ex-friends' reactions to her knews. Maybe she had been a little selfish lately, but she thought they were on her side. They could have shown at least a little support. She decided to go home and watch some TV to distract her.

As she was watching Grey's Anatomy, it reminded her to make an appointment with a gynecologist. She quietly stepped out of the house and made an appointment for the next day, Monday, after school.

Aria could not sleep that night. She was tossing and turning with worry. The path of her life changed so drastically and so suddenly. She was not ready to be a parent. She was not ready to face the challenges of being pregnant and having a baby. Luckily, though, she had already applied to colleges, so all she needed to do was wait for the replies. She figured that she would have to take a year off before college, to devote her time to the baby. Aria eventually became too tired to worry anymore and she dozed off.

She woke up feeling nauseous. "Oh great," she thought to herself, "Morning sickness." She tied her hair up away from her face, ran into the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. She washed her mouth, flushed the toilet, and walked downstairs, too disgusted to eat. She drank a glass of milk and ran upstairs to wash up and get dressed.

Aria floated through the halls of Rosewood High as if she were on autopilot. She did not utter a single word to Emily, Hanna, and Spencer. Lunch soon rolled around, and Aria had nowhere to sit. She immediately knew what it felt like to be the new kid, faced with the nerve-wracking descision of where to sit, and it felt to her like there was a giant spotlight on her, and everyone was watching her every move. She finally settled at an empty table, her face hot with embarrassment. She texted her dad, letting him know that she would not come straight home after school, because she needed to go to the library to study. She had a ton of experience lying to her parents and sneaking around because of A and her relationship with Ezra, so she figured lying about pregnancy-related matters would not be a task so hard to accomplish

Aria sat anxiously in the waiting room, filling out a health form. A tall, thin woman, who wore glasses and a lab coat, with her hair in a tight bun emerged from the doorway. "Aria Montgomery?" She called, smiling. Aria hung her head as she sheepishly got up from her chair. She walked towards the woman, who extended her hand. Aria was greatful that the woman's expression did not change when she saw how young her patient was. Aria shook the woman's hand and handed her the form. "Hi, Aria, I'm Dr. Rothman. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Date of birth?" Dr. Rothman asked as she guided Aria to her room.

"October 28th, 1996"

"So, Aria, you are 6 weeks pregnant."

Aria thought for a moment. 6 weeks. 1 and a half months. 2 and a half months ago, she and Ezra were still together. Her heart sank.

"Are you sure I'm not 4 weeks pregnant?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Why, how many sexual partners have you had?"

"Two".

"Your baby seems to be doing fine, but it's too early to notice any potential problems or complications."

Aria left the gynecologist and went back home to start on her homework. She found herself unable to concentrate, which didn't shock her. She had information that could ruin the future of the man she loved, and she was not in control of what would happen. A, undoubtedly of course, would find out about it and snitch. "Wait—" she thought to herself, "Did you just call Ezra the man you loved?" Aria still was in love with Ezra, but she had refused, up until just now, to admit that to herself.

She felt the urge to spill her secret and tell somebody that Ezra was the father of her child, and she did almost call Spencer, until she remembered that they were no longer speaking. Aria finished her homework with great difficulty due to her inability to focus, and she endured yet another sleepless night.

**I hope you liked the first chapter. Please review. I don't know why I had Aria meet at Hanna's house instead of Spencer's or Emily's. Is it just me or are the girls at Hanna's house more than Aria's, Spencer's, or Emily's on the show?**

**Also, In the prologue, it was weird of me to include lyrics from 2 songs, right? But I liked them both and was indecisive. Which one would you have chosen? I found them both very fitting. I guess that's what listening to Colbie Callait Radio on Pandora does to you… ALSO—I know the whole "Aria getting pregnant thing" is a much used plotline. But my story will be different. I think. I hope.**

** In Second grade, an author came to talk to my class. Her advice was to write about what was on the tip of your nose. And she didn't mean to write something like "skin, peach fuzz, concealer". So I guess I took her advice and based post- breakup Aria after a friend of mine, who was been going through a very hard time in her life. **

** I don't know what my story seems like so far, but if it seems to lack Ezria right now or in the future, please don't give up on me. I've mapped out the story so far and Ezria will be there. I pinky swear.**

**I'll update soon, b*tches, XOXO –A**

**(LOL just kidding y'all are wonderful and the polar opposite of being b*tches)**

**Thanks for reading! Luv ya'll!**

**Kisses, Wendy**


	2. Chapter 2

After school on Tuesday, Aria walked to Starbucks, fearing that she would run into her ex-friends at The Brew. She had just claimed her pumpkin spiced hot chocolate and she noticed the barista had spelled her name wrong, replacing the "I" in Aria with a "y", and adding an "h" at the end. She sat down with her drink and opened her laptop, listening to Lana Del Ray as she wrote: "I lost my family a long time ago. I lost the love of my life, I lost my best friends, and I lost myself. Now I have one thing left to lose, which has the potential to break me as well as those I care about…" Whenever Aria was upset, she would turn to words. Often, the words of others, as she would curl up with a book and read, yet sometimes, she saught comfort in her own words: she would write.

She looked up from her computer screen and saw a familiar face at a table across from her, immersed in some work of his own. She walked over. "Xander!"

"If it isn't Aria Gontmomery!" Xander grinned, teasing Aria for her drunken mispronunciation of her own last name. Aria grinned back sheepishly, as her face reddened.

"Welcome to the cool kids table!" Xander said charismatically. Aria giggled. "You can't sit with us!" she did her best interpretation of Regina George.

"So, tell me, Is your hair full of secrets?" Xander leaned in. Aria chuckled to herself. He didn't know the half of it. "You actually watched that movie?" Aria asked in shock.

"Yes… why?"

"You, Xander Phillips, watched Mean Girls?"

"Why does this confuse you?"

"Because… well… you're a guy."

Xander shook his head. "Aria, Aria, Aria. It seems we need to get to know each other more."

"Alright, shoot."

"What's on your computer screen?"

Aria immediately shut her MacBook. "Nothing. Private stuff. You?"

"Aria, come on! But if you must know what I'm working on…" He turned his computer to face her and he played a time lapse video of the ocean. Aria looked a little more closely and saw that the video was actually stop motion and that each image was a drawing rather than a photograph. "Wow, Xander, this is amazing!" Aria gasped in admiration. "Did you make this?"

"I drew every single image and compiled them, yes." Xander also showed her some photos he had taken.

"Wow, Xander, these pictures are beautiful. You're an amazing photographer!"

"It's not me! I just find the beautiful subjects. Hey, how about you come over one day and you and I do a photo shoot?"

Aria blushed at the implied compliment. "So, what grade are you in?" She asked.

"I'm a senior, you?"

"Same. Future plans?"

"I plan to attend New York Film Academy and study filmmaking."

"What do you know? I plan on going to New York, too! I want to attend NYU, get an English degree, and become a writer, or possibly an editor."

"Okay," Xander said, a no-nonsense look in his eyes. "Here's the plan. You write the script for a movie. I direct it. We make the best movie ever and win at life."

"Sounds good to me!" Aria chuckled. She found herself really enjoying Xander's company.

"Here's another plan. We exchange numbers and continue this conversation on a later date? Say, over dinner?"

"Um, okay!" Aria replied, exchanging phones with Xander and plugging her number into his. They switched back their phones and Aria opened her mouth to speak, er mouth a mile ahead of her brain. "Xander… about that night, you know, the party? I—I'm… pregnant. The baby's yours."

The confidence that Xander possessed seemed to have washed away the moment she uttered those words. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. "I—I—I'm s-so sorry," he said quietly as he hastily gathered his things. "I'll call you later." Xander rushed out of Starbucks leaving Aria alone with her sinking heart.

**Sorry ch2 is so short!**

**Sooo…. What did ya think of Xander? He's based off of a boy in my English class (how ironic) and a boy in my computer class. I will update in 10 days, but for every review I get, I will update 1 day sooner. For example if I get 2 reviews I will update in 8 days, If I get 5 reviews I will update in 5 days. If the 10****th**** review comes before the 10****th**** day, I will update the day after the 10****th**** review. Hope you liked it!**

**Kisses, Wendy **


	3. Chapter 3: Author's Note

**Hi guys! I know I didn't post when I said I would but I've just been crazy busy. And I'm sorry that this is not a real chapter, but I have something I've been dying to say. **

"Guest" posted a review on my story on Sept. 14th, and it made me very upset. Not because of what this person said, but because of how awful the grammar is. They wrote:

"this story is bullshit and you are a stupid, besides mentally re-traced.

stupid bitch your head is full of shit  
do not continue with this shit t hate history"

Oh, the irony! You are calling me stupid, yet your grammar is atrocious! First off, calling someone "a stupid" is grammatically incorrect. You could have just called me stupid, or if you really felt the need to include the "a", you could have called me a stupid person. Also, I believe that the correct phrasing would be "aside from" rather than besides", and you would need to insert the word "being" between "aside from" and "mentally." Also, the word "retraced" has no hyphen between "re" and "traced". Even if you left out the hyphen, calling me mentally retraced is still incorrect. The phrase is mentally retarded. Just so you know, that was a week attempt at an insult. It is not a bad thing to be mentally retarded, nor is the word retarded meant to be an insulting word. So thanks for stating an incorrect fact. I'm sorry you hate history! Personally, I find it very interesting. By the way, what's that random "t" doing in the middle of "shit" and "history?"Nice try, but if you want to insult me, do so correctly next time. But thanks for reading my story, though!

Also— sorry if any of my grammar or corrections were incorrect. That would make me a huge hypocrite and I'm sorry.

Also, the punctuation is far from perfect but that's okay because that's just how it is on the internet, you feel me?

**If you took the time to read this, thanks for reading! New chapter will be up relatively soon. I will try to update once a week or once every other week. We'll see…**


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